So I was feeling adventurous today when I bought this, because I’ve always wondered about smoky teas. I found a smoky beer that I absolutely fell in love with at a local brewery, but they aren’t brewing it anymore, so I’d like to see if I appreciate a smoky tea as much.

I smelled it in the store, and intense wood smoke scent hit me in the face. The clerk said that lots of people use it for cooking, I was like yeah so will I if I don’t like it haha! I only got 15 g of it though, so we’ll see how it goes.

I brewed it for 4 minutes, as that seemed to be a sweet spot on Steepster for the good reviews. The steeped smell is not quite as smoky I don’t think, and there’s a stronger pine note. I am totally picturing camping amongst the spruce trees with a fire crackling and cooking smokies on the fire :) at least this is so far taking me to my favorite activity to do in the summer, camping!

So now the taste, and the verdict is…this actually is not too bad. It is definitely a more savoury tea haha. The first taste is a bold, rich flavor, then tapers off into the smoky aftertaste. The pine flavor is also present, moreso in the breathing in of the scent when you take a sip. I definitely would liken this to beef jerky, a heavily smoked beef jerky. Haha, my boyfriend had the first sip and I was like so what do you think? Is it like whiskey or smoke or beef jerky? and he said like eating a piece of charcoal haha. I can see where he gets that from, though.

Overall, I am happy I have tried this. It’s not something I will drink frequently, but it will satisfy those savoury salty tea cravings I sometimes get. I don’t think I will be running out to get anymore, but I would be open to trying other LS from different companies too, so I’m not scared off! I also might have to try adding some of this to salmon, I imagine it would be excellent. Yay for exciting tea experiences!

ETA – Yes. I have found a very tasty way to enjoy this tea. By eating cheese while drinking it! The salty cheese complements the smoke and tones it down nicely, and the illusion of eating applewood smoked cheddar is also created. Happy I found that this pairs nicely with one of my favorite foods :D

ETA again – so while this was ok when I had it, I’ve unfortunately had a lingering smoke smell/taste in my nose and mouth all night, and I’m quite tired of it now. Blarg. Removing rating as maybe I just am not a fan of this type of tea.

Hmmm that is definitely an idea! I hope I kind of like this one, I’ve had a sip so far and am kinda ehh..will update the note soon. Oh, and also, I totally forgot about swapping at some point for Berry Good haha, in my crazed tea buying state I got 50 g when the clerk brought it over I was like “OMG yess that oneee” lol, so we will have to swap for different ones :D

Yeah I’ve definitely heard that, I will still try new ones, maybe that will be my next goal, find the best smoky tea lol :) this one I will have sparingly just because it has such a lasting aftertaste, other than that it was not bad, just really smoky lol

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Hmmm that is definitely an idea! I hope I kind of like this one, I’ve had a sip so far and am kinda ehh..will update the note soon. Oh, and also, I totally forgot about swapping at some point for Berry Good haha, in my crazed tea buying state I got 50 g when the clerk brought it over I was like “OMG yess that oneee” lol, so we will have to swap for different ones :D

Yeah I’ve definitely heard that, I will still try new ones, maybe that will be my next goal, find the best smoky tea lol :) this one I will have sparingly just because it has such a lasting aftertaste, other than that it was not bad, just really smoky lol

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Hello all, I am an electrical engineer (read:NERD :D), who is a bit obsessed with tea! I discovered loose tea in 2011, DAVIDsTEA in 2012 and it took off from there. I really started drinking/enjoying tea because it was excellent to take to class in the morning and because I can’t handle coffee! (unless it’s a really good cappuccino or latte, or decent decaf haha)

I enjoy a variety of teas – current favorites being ripe and raw pu’erhs, chinese black teas and herbal/green rooibos blends. I also enjoy white, green, and oolong teas, although I tend to drink them more in the warmer months. I have also tried matcha and guayusa, but I don’t drink them too often as I am a bit sensitive to caffeine. As a result I don’t drink black teas as often as I used to, but in moderation I can still enjoy a wide variety of teas.

Oh, and I have a severe peanut allergy and try to avoid most other nuts, just to be safe. Limits my tea choices a bit, but that’s ok. However I have tried almonds and found out I can eat them, so I have been trying a few teas with them in them.

MissLena’s rating system
(as of 04/19/13)

95+: Absolute favorite, will try to always have it in stock, and when I don’t I pine over it!90-94: Awesome teas, will probably purchase again a few times80-89: Very good tea, may restock at some point70-79: happy to have tried and will gladly finish, but not restock60-69: not horrible, but not the best, will finish if I have some though50-59: not a favorite, probably will have a tough time finishing the bag-50: yuck. I don’t want to have it ever again.